Overview
- Russia’s Defense Ministry says encircled Ukrainian units near Kupyansk and Pokrovsk are being reduced, with clearing operations ongoing in Kupyansk-Uzlovoy, Kurylivka and Petropavlivka after multiple failed Ukrainian relief attempts.
- Near Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), the ministry reports a repelled breakout by Ukraine’s 32nd Mechanized Brigade, the destruction of a T-72 by an FPV drone, the clearing of 45 buildings in Hnativka and Roh and 24 in Dymytrov, and the blocking of 11 relief attacks from Hryshyne.
- The ministry says its forces took Uspenivka in Zaporizhzhia, claiming control over more than 7 square kilometers, the clearing of over 1,100 structures and the destruction of more than 50 Ukrainian vehicles.
- Regional authorities in Russia’s Belgorod region report nearly 70 Ukrainian drones and dozens of other munitions launched in a day, with one civilian killed, several injuries and damage to homes, infrastructure and farm equipment.
- Western media including The Economist, Reuters and Le Monde now portray Ukrainian control of Pokrovsk as close to ending, with its loss viewed as a serious blow to Kyiv’s logistics and morale.